Benedict Cumberbatch to voice The Grinch

Benedict Cumberbatch will lend his voice to the titular character in animated movie 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'

Benedict Cumberbatch is to star in 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'.

The 39-year-old actor will lend his voice to the lead character in the animated movie, which is slated for a November 10, 2017 release.

Speaking at CinemaCon, Chris Meledandri, the CEO of Illumination Entertainment, said: "Choosing the actor to voice The Grinch, we were determined to make a choice that would not only define this version of The Grinch as absolutely singular, but most importantly, we were looking for a voice to express comedic wickedness while embodying vulnerability. It is that vulnerability that allows us to create a character that is not only highly entertaining, but also has an irresistible appeal."

And Chris is keen for the animated movie to be both "modern and traditional" and has revealed the team have taken inspiration from the original book by Ted Geisel.

He added to Deadline: "What we've set out to do with this telling of the Grinch is make it both modern and traditional at the same time. When I say that I mean from a traditional standpoint, we've really tried to go back to what we perceive as the essence of what Ted Geisel was communicating.

"What I love about his work is that at the centre of it, of all of his stories, are very, very simple and universal ideas. The last telling of the Grinch focused a little bit more on the commercialisation of Christmas and how the commercialisation of Christmas can lead us down the wrong path."

The Grinch (Cumberbatch) is a grumpy, green creature who despises Christmas so much that he plots to steal it. The animation is gorgeous, the pace is breezy and Cumberbatch does a decent job with the voice, but the film is stolen by the Grinch’s adorable dog Max.